whats up with my writing

If you know me, or have read a previous post or something, you would know that I am trying to get my book published. I've queried six agents so far...Two by mail (those I sent out in January) and four by email (those I sent out like last week).

Initially I was just going to send my queries by mail because I had read somewhere that some agents won't respond to email queries if they don't like it. However, those three email ones that rejected me thus far did respond. One of the agents was really nice about it and encouraging, which made me feel kind of nice and loved even though she was rejecting me.

One thing I did that may or may not be a good thing is change my title. I had such issues picking out a title. It was just so hard finding something that was perfect. But I really wanted to send everything out, so in the end I just chose one even though I was meh about it, and just went with it. That is the title I used when I sent out my first two queries...but suddenly for some reason last week or maybe the week before that I had this urge to change my title. It wasn't that I had something else in mind, it was just that I looked at my title and though: "Is that anything you would pick up off the shelf" and when my answer was a NO I knew I had to change it. I mean I had always known it had sucked, but then I guess it just really hit me that if I didn't like it, an agent wouldn't either, so they wouldn't want to take me on. So I changed it to something much more typically YA and not a dumb attempt to be mysterious like with title number one. I mean, the title technically FIT, but it was just dumb.

The only reason it might have been a bad thing for me to change my title is because I still haven't gotten a response from one of the first two agents, and if she got my submission at all, it has the crappy title. I wish I could send like a follow up saying HEY LOOK I CHANGED MY TITLE IGNORE THE OTHER ONE. But that would look pretty bad on my part.

I'm also trying to build my resume in other ways, because I also figured that it would look better if I don't look like a COMPLETE high-school-kid-who-has-no-idea-what-she's-doing. Ah well. I'll just be determined and maybe hopefully in the near future some agent will look at my query or my submission or my whatever and be like I MUST HAVE THAT NOW. One can only hope.

humanity

I've been meaning to write this entry for a few days. Its kind of something I always think about, and figured I'd might as well put into words.

I love the concept of individual people. How every single person has so many layers, and how no two people are exactly the same. How everyone sees and feels everything in a different way. We all have likes and dislikes and emotions and everything that makes us human. Everyone has something that they are passionate about, even if they haven't discovered it yet. Like how I live and breathe my writing, and some people live and breathe their sports or other hobbies. And how everyone has a different color that they just love, or music that just speaks to them. I always think about that, especially with music. What is it about trance that I love so much? Well I love it, I can't even explain it, because to me its just the best thing ever, but to people like my dad for instance, it couldn't be more annoying. I can't understand people who like country, but there are people who just love country, probably just as much as I love trance.

In some cases its a question of nature or nurture. I like reading, so does that mean its in my genes? But liking music isn't really in your genes. A lot of time it depends on your culture and your age group. To my grandpa everything on the radio isn't music, it's just noise, and I can't imagine what he'd think of my trance and techno.

But this isn't even about music. It's just about our individuality as a human race. We are the only animal with such a wide variety of likes and dislikes, when it comes to everything. We're attracted to different people and colors and settings that goes beyond basic survival instinct. I mean, though I don't know how I'd live without it, I wouldn't actually die if someone didn't let me write.

I think its one of the reasons why i like writing so much. Writing stories I mean. I love creating the characters, mostly my main characters, because I can create someone with all of the depth, all of the layers, as every human being. I can show what makes them happy, what irks them, how they talk, every little idiosyncracy. I just like creating humans.

We're all so unique. It's really true. And its amazing that we all have these different souls. It can't be genetics or what we're brought up with. It must be something more. I don't think this is something that science can explain. I guess I'm a romantic, but I just love this idea of humanity.

the most awesome website ever

This is the most awesome website ever. http://fuckyeahsimsmeme.tumblr.com/

Well it's only awesome if you are into the Sims games, which I SO AM BECAUSE I'M OBSESSED. The sims was something I graduated to after I was finally done playing with Barbies, which took much longer than for the average girl, lemme tell ya. Although I'm pretty sure my sims time overlapped my doll playing time...

Call me a weirdo, but I still play the Sims 2. I have almost all of the expansion packs (I have University, Seasons, Bon Voyage, Freetime, and Apartment Life) plus three stuff packs (Celebration stuff, Ikea home stuff, and teen style stuff). Although the Sims 3 looks awesome, I never was that interested in getting that, until recently when I was talking to my friend Lisa, who has it, and well the personalities seem so much cooler. But one of the things I like the most about the Sims 2, is the fact that I basically use it to create my story characters. Almost all of my Sims are from stories I have written or imagined. Another tip against writer's block for me is playing the Sims 2, because I can play with my characters and have them act out everything as best as I can, and it usually helps give me ideas. But this is only if you're into the Sims like me, which is why I didn't put it before.

All of the rest of my characters are variations of me...and whoever that particular Caroline hangs out with. Seriously there are at least ten Carolines running around my various neighborhoods.

But I digress. That website is really funny because it's basically all of these inside jokes, sim related humor...The whole point of it is to make fun of how ridiculous some aspects of the Sims is, like when the phone rings for ten straight hours or how whenever the toilet clogs the majority of sim users just buy a new one...I could NOT stop laughing, but anyone who doesn't play the Sims won't appreciate it. But hey, you could check it out anyway.

Shabadu.
Shabadu Badabada.

how to conquer the evil villian WRITERS BLOCK

I never thought writing a query letter would be this annoying. Though it's not the actual letter itself that's giving me problems. It's the last paragraph. The one where I'm supposed to be like HEY MY NAME IS CAROLINE I'M COOL CHOOSE MY BOOK. Not that easy when I'm a TEENAGER writing and have NO qualifications whatsoever! Urgh. But on a bright note, I think I'm sending out my first submission or whatever to an agent today. I would send out more, but the rest of them require a query letter. Which I'm not done with.

Anyway today's topic of discussion is HOW TO CONQUER MY MOST EVIL NEMESIS MISTER WRITERS BLOCK!!!!!!!! Since of course he's not only MY nemesis, but basically every single human being who has ever tried to write something ever's evil nemesis as well. Ahem anyway.

Here are a few tips of mine that I'd like to share when someone who is writing a novel or a story or something has a run in with the evil demon.

1. Write something else. It doesn't matter what it is. Another story, an entry in your diary, poetry, WHATEVER. The more you write, the better you'll get at it. And writing other things can help teach you about your writing, which can help you with your story or book. As long as you're writing something.

2. Maybe the reason you're having writer's block is because you don't know what's going to happen next from the particular scene you're at. I mean, you know what's happening EVENTUALLY, but you don't know how to get out of THIS SCENE. Happens to me all the time. And you know what I do when that happens? I skip ahead. Yeah I know, some people hate skipping ahead. They think they have to write every single thing in order. But sometimes it helps. It'll soothe your nerves, because at least you're writing your book. And honestly, you can fill in the blanks later. My story had sooooo many blanks that I would just go back and fill in. And believe me, it's so much easier to fill in blanks than to stare at the wide expanse of emptiness and wish the damn thing would write itself.

3. Breathe fresh air! Don't watch tv for 4 hours or go on facebook for the whole night. Go outside! Take a walk! Clear your head! I know it sounds stupid, but clearing your head is really, really helpful, for just about any problem you might be having. If it's winter and it's cold so you don't want to take a walk, which I can understand since I live in New York, a very confused city whose weather got mixed up with Canada's this year, then meditate or something. And if you're not a meditating type of person or you don't feel like braving the cold, then do something else that will help you clear your head. Take a bubble bath! Just do something else!

4. Read! Because according to Captain Obvious, reading helps you with writing. And let's be honest. Almost all writers are inspired in some way at some point in time by something they have READ.

I'm sure there are other ways to combat writer's block. If you can think of anything else you should COMMENT. Of course I doubt anyone WILL comment, but I might as well suggest it, because we all must band together so we can defeat the evil demon of writer's block!!!!!!!! JOIN THE CAUSE!

how to publish your book

This is a post that I like to call HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK.

Unfortunately, no one should take any advice from me because I have no yet published my book. But I am trying. Oh so hard.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm trying just yet. Because I haven't submitted anything. But I can only imagine the torture and pain this will cause me as I get REJECTION AFTER REJECTION.

But here's how it's supposed to go.

Step 1: Sign up for Writer's Market. That is the only way to get a literary agent. And if you wanna get published, you gotta get a literary agent.

Step 2: Search Writer's Market for Agents. Make sure you read their stuff very carefully, and make sure you're doing the right thing. You don't wanna submit your epic romance to an agent who only reads nonfiction cook books. Just saying.

Step 3: Write Your Query. That's what I'm doing now. It's kind of fun. But also very nervewracking because this is what you will send to agents!

Step 4: Send Query To Agents. Make sure you follow their directions.

Step 5: Wait. They have a lot of stuff to read, so it'll take a month at the very least. And that's if you're lucky.

Step 6: Get Rejected. Either that or they just won't respond at all. Sometimes you'll just have to assume that you were rejected. I know, life's tough.

Step 7: Do It All Over Again. And again. And again. Until you get someone who says HEY GIMME YOUR BOOK I WANT TO SEE IF I CAN GET IT PUBLISHED. And then they will help you.

Step 8: Wait. See step 5 for further instruction.

Step 9: Get Fired By Agent Because No One Wants Your Book. It happens, and well the agent doesn't want to put effort into something that isn't going to make them money.

Step 10: Start Again From Step One. Isn't it terrible? That you have to start all the way from the beginning if your agent drops you?

Step 11: Get An Agent That Finds Someone To Publish Your Book. I'm just going to assume you succeeded the second time around. Because otherwise this would be a neverending loop of REJECTION.

Step 12: ...I don't know I haven't gotten this far. Actually, I'm still on Step 3. But I'll keep you posted on what happens.

If you think I'm being negative, I am, but unfortunately, this is just the way it is. Even if you're the next JK Rowling it might be difficult for you. I'm pretty sure she got rejected many many times. Good luck. Wish me luck too. I'll need it.